True Colors
by awtrfan4eva
Summary: Derek and Sara show that their love will withstand anything..and that race DOESNT matter! Please R&R=)
1. Chapter One

Note: I do not own any of these characters: Sara, Derek, Malakai, Chenille, Roy, Snookie, Nikki, Diggy, Kenny, or anyone else who appeared in the original movie. PLEASE do not copy my story, for this story itself IS property of me(. Hope you enjoy it, and please read and review!  
  
CHAPTER 1  
  
"Ms. Johnson---I can't say this on the record yet, but welcome to Julliard." These words remained ringing in Sara's ears as she headed back to the changing room with Derek explaining what the judge had said to Roy. As she walked out of the changing room with that uncontrollable grin on her face, she saw Roy come running towards her  
  
"You got in!??" He exclaimed, so enthusiastic that his had fell off and with a laugh, Derek bent down and picked it up for him  
  
"Dad, calm down---You're making a scene," She replied, trying to sound casual about it all  
  
"Hey, who cares whose watchin'! You're goin' to Julliard baby!" Derek exclaimed as he leaned in for an enthusiastic hug. Sara could feel the eyes of other ballerinas waiting to audition staring at them in envy. She could also see ballerinas who hadn't made it staring at her with resentment. Quite frankly, she didn't care. ----------  
  
As the three of them piled onto the subway and sat down, Sara realized how tired she was. She propped her head up with her fist and tried desperately to keep her eyes open.  
  
"Tired?" Derek asked  
  
"Mmm," she replied  
  
"You'll be home soon," he added, and nothing else was said on the ride home. They only heard the divine sound of silence.  
  
The next day at around noon Sara heard a knock on her door. Since her father was out working, as he usually was on Saturdays, it was up to her to answer it. The first thing she saw when she opened the door was a huge bouquet of flowers in her face  
  
"Congratulations Girl!" Chenille screamed as she pushed herself in and greeted Sara with a heart-felt hug.  
  
"Thanks!" She replied, still in awe as Derek walked over to her and gave her a quiet but sweet peck on the lips while handing her the flowers.  
  
"So I know you're goin' all fancy and shit but you still wanna hit Steppes tonight?" Chenille asked with a smile on her face  
  
"Yeah, of course I'll go!"  
  
"A'ight girl," She continued as a sly grin formed across her face, "So tell me 'bout it, what'd they say 'bout ya'?" Sara laughed and sat down on the couch along with Derek and Chenille  
  
"Well he just said that I was going to Julliard," Sara replied casually  
  
"How you gonna act like that Sara?" Derek asked as he put his arm around her, "All casual and shit. You goin' to Julliard baby! You're allowed to be excited you know!" They all laughed  
  
"I am! I am!" She replied, "I'M GOING TO JULLIARD!!!" She yelled, "That felt really good,"  
  
"So, I was talkin' with Kenney yesterday after you left the park, Derek," Chenille started, removing her coat and placing it over the edge of the sofa. "He said he's gonna start comin' around more, you know- seein' Christopher and everythin',"  
  
"And do you---" Sara was searching for the right words, but realized there were none that could be used except the ones she wanted to say, "Do you actually believe him?" Sara and Derek waited for an answer, and after a long pause Chenille answered  
  
"I---Look, ya'll are lucky a'ight? I wish me an' Kenney could be as happy as you two are but I do love him an' I can't help it,"  
  
"Chenille---" Derek started  
  
"No, Derek!" She exclaimed as she felt tears starting to form in her eyes before she viciously wiped them away, "I'm gonna do anythin' I can to get him to love me too,"  
  
"Chenille you don't need him," Derek said, placing one hand on her knee, "You'll find someone who'll love you back, but it ain't Kenney. He don't support Christopher, he don't visit him, he doesn't even visit you!"  
  
"I know Derek but that's what he was talkin' 'bout after you left. He says he sorry for all that. I wanna give him one more chance an' I think he deserves it,"  
  
"Will he be at Steppes tonight?" Sara asked  
  
"Maybe," Chenille replied, at that was the end of that conversation. 


	2. Chapter Two

CHAPTER 2  
  
Sara looked at the two outfits on the bed in front of her, debating over which one to wear to Steppes. One was a purple-blue tank top that went down to just above her belly-button and a black leather mini-skirt. She'd wear her hair in two French braids along with a pair of hoop earrings similar to the ones lent to her by Chenille on her first time at the club. The other outfit was a simple black halter top along with a longer skirt that the leather one.  
  
"Which one do you think?" She asked Chenille, who was fixing her makeup in Sara's bedroom mirror  
  
"Hmmm ." She replied, closing the cap to her lipstick and walking over to the bed where the clothes lay, "This one's ti-ght!" She exclaimed, in reference to the purple tank with the mini skirt.  
  
"Really? You sure it's not too skimpy?"  
  
"Nah . but this one's slammin' too," She replied, as she packed up all of her makeup into her purse and walked out of Sara's room to leave. Derek was patiently waiting outside of her room, waiting to take the two girls to Steppes.  
  
"Man, you guys almost ready? I've been waitin' here forever," He commented, before Sara stuck her tongue out at him and closed the door.  
  
"Derek, don't you want your girl to be lookin' hot tonight for Steppes? A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!" She joked, as Sara came walking out, shutting the door behind her (Which her father iHadi actually fixed). Derek felt a smile creep across his face as he watched Sara walk across to the coat-rack.  
  
"What? You don't like it?" She asked him. He just realized he had actually been staring at her  
  
"No! No you look . great," He said, rising from her couch along with Chenille. Sara could feel her face starting to blush as Derek put his arms around her and kissed her lips. He started to whisper something in her ear, but Chenille interrupted them  
  
"Ya'll can do that later, c'mon we're gonna be late!" ------------  
  
Sara, Derek and Chenille took out their I.D's and danced their way into the club.  
  
"Ohhhhhh yeah!" Chenille exclaimed as the song "In Da Club" by 50 Cent came on and she headed onto the dance floor along with Derek and Sara. Once they got dancing they just couldn't seem to stop, until Sara could feel the envious eyes of Nikki on her and Derek. She mentioned it to Derek, but he just simply shook it off  
  
"Just ignore her," he said as they continued showing off their off-the-hook hip-hop moves. Sara just couldn't stop thinking of Nikki watching them dance. Obviously she was jealous and resentful of Sara, but that wasn't what really bothered her. What bothered her was the thought of Derek being with anyone but her. Trying to shake these thoughts off, Sara headed to the washroom to freshen up. Once she entered she realized that that was a bad decision. The first thing she saw was the back of someone's body, along with long black hair. As soon as they turned around Sara wanted to run out there and then.  
  
"What you doin'?" She asked, as if she didn't know. Sara's first instinct was to simply ignore her . but that didn't quite work. "When I ask you somethin' you better answer, bitch!"  
  
"Look Nikki," Sara started, not trying to offend her- she didn't feel like getting into a fight tonight, "I don't want to fight with you. I'm just coming in here to ." Nikki didn't give her a chance to finish  
  
"To get in my way!" She slowly walked over to Sara until they were only about an inch apart, "Stay away from Derek,"  
  
"No!" Sara replied, pushing her away. Nikki sneered and Sara decided it was best to run out. Nikki followed her and literally jumped on her back and began pulling on her hair. Sara screamed and shook her off, when Nikki tripped her. A crowd was now surrounding them and Sara could see Derek trying to make his way over to see what was happening.  
  
"Sara!" He exclaimed before attempting to break the two up. Nikki spit on Sara, which made things worse. Derek managed to finally calm Sara down and bring her outside and out of the club with Chenille tagging behind; confused. Once they were outside Derek saw the glistening red flowing down Sara's white cheek from her lip  
  
"Damn Sara!" He commented, heading toward his house, "Come on over to our house, we'll put somethin' on that . what happened?" He asked, putting his arm tightly around her. He wanted to be angry at her for stooping to Nikki's low, but found that he couldn't. He could see the tears in Sara's eyes and he didn't have the heard to be mad at her.  
  
"Nikki . god that bitch! Okay, I walked into the bathroom and there she was saying all this shit . and then she told be to stay away from you Derek so I pushed her and then everything started and ." She continued, wiping the tears from her eyes. She could hear the pitter-patter of feet behind her, which appeared to be running toward them.  
  
"That's it, go ahead and cry bitch!" Nikki yelled, stomping toward them, "It ain't over," Derek walked toward her but stopped before getting too close to her  
  
"Stay AWAY from me Nikki," he said coldly, "Jus' cause you got DUMPED by that dude doesn't mean you gotta come crawlin' back to me. Just stay the hell away from me AND Sara,"  
  
"She don't love you like I do Derek!" Nikki screamed. This time Derek and Sara just ignored her and, eventually she left. 


	3. Chapter Three

CHAPTER 3  
  
By the time they all got back to Derek and Chenille's house, Sara was about ready to collapse. Her lip was stinging like crazy and she could feel a bruise forming on her right cheek. She could also feel a little bit of blood trickling out from a cut made by Nikki's nails on her arm.  
  
With his arm around her, Derek led Sara into the small duplex-like place he called home.  
  
"Here, go lie down there," he suggested, pointing to the couch, "I'm gonna' get some ice for that. Chenille will stay here with you," he finished with a smile and a kiss on the top of her head. Sara laid her head down on a beige pillow on the couch and stretched out. Chenille took her coat from her and then sat down on the other couch next to Sara's.  
  
"You a'ight'?" She asked, closing her eyes for a moment and then opening them again in the direction of Sara, waiting for an answer  
  
"Yeah I'll be okay," she replied, touching her hand to her lip where the cut was. She could still taste and feel blood, so she knew it hadn't stopped bleeding. Once Derek entered the room once more, Sara sat up waiting for the cold ice to be pressed against her bleeding cut.  
  
"This's gonna sting," he warned, pressing it against the cut. Sara flinched at first but tried to bare the pain. "It's a'ight, its ai'ght," Derek said, calming her down a little. Chenille got up from the couch and walked over in the direction of her bedroom.  
  
"Ya'll are fine right? I gotta get some sleep,"  
  
"Yeah you can go," Derek said, holding the ice on Sara's lip, "good night."  
  
"'Night. . . 'night Sara,"  
  
"'Night," she replied, attempting to form a small ounce of a smile on her paining face, but Derek told her not to.  
  
"Just hold that on there," he told her, as Sara took hold of the freezing ice and lay her head down. Derek took her legs and put them over his. Sara closed her eyes and grunted from the severe pain. "So. . . you know Nikki and me . . . there's nothin' between us anymore," he commented, "At all." Sara wondered if this was really true, but of course she didn't say anything. When she didn't, Derek discovered her true feelings. "Look, Sara even when I was with Nikki I didn't feel the way I do about you!"  
  
"Well it's the same with me but I just hate it the way she's always on our backs and she's always looking at you and everything!"  
  
"That doesn't mean anything," he said, as both of them rose into a sitting position facing each other, "Let her look. I ain't gonna look back," Sara knew there was no use for words in that moment; Derek had said what needed to be said. "I love you Sara," Derek said. Once the sentence was over, he was surprised that he had said it. He hadn't even thought of it, it just slipped out of his mouth. Sara was surprised too, by the look on her face.  
  
"You what?" she asked with a huge smile on her face. Derek laughed,  
  
"I love you!" Sara took a deep breath and replied with those same three words. They finished that topic with a long kiss.  
  
---------------  
  
At around midnight Sara figured she should either go home or at least call Roy. Derek handed her the phone and she slowly dialed the numbers. She figured he might not even be home, and her guess was right. She did, however, leave a message on his answering machine explaining that she was spending the night at Chenille's house. Which was true, she just didn't say Derek was there as well. Once the message was recorded, Sara lay down once more, and Derek came out of his room with a big, baggy sweater around his arm.  
  
"Here, put this on," he suggested, handing it to her with a smile. Sara, however, looked confused.  
  
"Why?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face. However, she did put the sweater on.  
  
"It's gettin' cold out," he replied simply. Then, Derek brought out a blanket and lay down with Sara, putting the blanket loosely around them. He gently wrapped his arms around her and both of them felt suddenly at peace. . . happy. Sara let out a quiet sigh of joy, and Derek smiled to himself. It was going to be a great night. 


	4. Chapter Four

CHAPTER 4  
  
That morning Sara woke up sore and tired. Although it had been an amazing night just lying there with Derek's warm and welcoming arms around her, her face still pained unbelievably. They didn't wake until a little after 10 in the morning, and boy did it feel good to sleep in. When she first woke up, Sara was startled and didn't remember where she was. It then all came back to her. . .Nikki. . . the fight. . .  
  
Sara walked over to where Derek was standing, making breakfast for the both of them. Chenille had already left earlier in the morning to do some things, so it was just Derek and Sara in the house now. Mama Jean had taken Christopher over to her friend's house out in the valley, and apparently they had ended spending the night there. Sara wrapper her arms warmly around Derek's shirtless stomach and whispered "I love you" into his ears. A smile crept across his face and he turned around to face Sara; repeating her words. He ran his fingers through her dirty-blonde hair and kissed her lovingly on the top of her head and, with a smile, returned to making breakfast.  
  
"How are you feelin'?" he asked Sara, as the toast popped out of the toaster. She briefly ran her finger over the deep scratch on her cheek and immediately flinched  
  
"Ugh. . . Not good," she replied. Just then a shot went off outside and Sara and Derek ran to the window. All they could see was a big winter jacket with fur around the hood running down the sidewalk with a gun.  
  
"Jesus. . ." Derek started, and Sara saw his face turn from wonderment to horrific.  
  
"What? Who. . .What is it Derek?"  
  
"Jesus Christ, it's Malakai!" Derek exclaimed, as the figure became no longer visible. Then, suddenly a loud knocking sound was heard in the direction of the door. Derek and Sara looked at each other and decided to open it. Derek eased closer as Sara stayed by the window  
  
"DEREK, OPEN UP MAN!" The voice said and Sara let out a gasp. It was indeed Malakai. Derek slowly opened the door while Malakai slipped inside.  
  
"What the hell you doin' man?" Derek asked, trying to sound strict but worriless at the same time. Malakai looked around and saw Sara, nervously watching the two of them talk.  
  
"What's she doin' here?" He asked rudely. Sara bit her lip trying not to say anything. . .maybe she was overreacting but he DID have a gun. . .  
  
"What do you mean what's she doin' here? She's my girl Malakai," he replied harshly- getting his point across. Malakai shrugged it off and continued around the house, "Man- what are YOU doing here?" Derek asked once again  
  
"Man, the cops are after me man. . .I just gotta chill here for a bit, a'ight?"  
  
"No, it's not alright, Kai. You can't stay here," Derek replied, walking over toward Sara and grabbing hold of her as if he was afraid Malakai was going to do something.  
  
"What do you mean man? C'mon Derek I got no place else to go man. . .you know that,"  
  
"I do know it," Derek said, becoming more persistent now, "but you can't stay here. . .you're not gonna' drag me into this, too. . .or Sara,"  
  
"Man fuck that. . .Fuck her!"  
  
"Fuck you!" Sara replied, immideatly wishing she hadn't. Malakai pulled out his gun and pointed it directly at Sara, letting it hover there for a moment. Then, after a few moments he pointed it toward Derek and. . .he fired. 


	5. Chapter Five

{Note- Thank you HAA for your (many) reviews. . .and I'm glad you enjoy what I'm writing. If you have friends who go on this site, could you be kind enough to refer me to them, so I get reviews from them as well? If you can, thanks and if not that's okay too I enjoy reading you pleasant reviews}  
  
CHAPTER 5  
  
"DEREK!" Sara screamed as he fell to the floor, clutching his arm. Thank god it didn't hit his stomach, Sara thought. She could hear the police trying to get inside, and apparently Malakai did too, and he fled. Sara reached for the cordless phone and dialed the numbers 9-1-1  
  
"9-1-1, what is your emergency?" An operator's voice answered. Derek was shaking from pain and Sara, while on the phone, tried to calm him down, "It's okay, it's okay just hold on," she kept repeating. . .to herself as much as to him.  
  
When the ambulance arrived, Sara pleaded with the paramedics to let her inside the ambulance with Derek but they refused. Worried and confused, bitter and anxious, Sara rushed over to where her dad was playing. Thankfully he was on a break, and she told him what had happened. He let her borrow the car, and Sara rushed her way over to the hospital.  
  
"Where can I find Derek Reynolds?" She asked as she felt a bead of perspiration drip down her pale forehead. The woman told her and Sara ran over to the elevator and hit floor number 3. That elevator ride was maybe the longest she'd ever taken. All of the "what if's" came rushing into her head at once. What if he's hurt badly? What if Malakai comes after me next? What if the doctors can't fix it? What if. . . Her thoughts were interrupted by the ding as the elevator arrived on her floor. She once again wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead off, and headed toward the room in which she was told Derek would be. She saw at least five doctors around him, but she could see him moving so that had to be a good sign. . .right?  
  
"Are you Sarah Johnson?" A nurse asked her. Sarah took a deep breath and said that she was. "You may come inside, Ms. Mr. Reynolds has been demanding you're in here with him," she said as she led Sara into the emergency room. She heard a loud scream come from Derek as the doctor slowly pulled out the bullet from his upper-arm. Sara walked over beside Derek's head and awkwardly grabbed hold of his hand. He yelled out once more as the doctor pulled the full bullet out and put it on a cloth on a metal table beside him. He muttered some medical terms to his co-doctors and exited the room.  
  
"Is he going to be okay?" Sara demanded. At first the doctors ignored her as they continued to do something or other to his arm, but once she became more demanding they answered,  
  
"He'll be fine," one of them quickly replied, reaching for a strip of bandage. Sara let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes for a moment. How could things go from extremely good to extremely bad in a matter of minutes? She remembered waking on the couch. . .Derek's couch. Then she remembered feeling him whisper the words "I love you" into her ears and now he was in the hospital, with a hole in his arm because of Malakai. She then saw the doctors pack up their things and start walking out the door, before one of them stopped to fill Sara in.  
  
"Mr. Reynolds will be fine. . .he's still in pain but that will cease over time. You're welcome to stay as long as you want to," she added before walking out completely. Sara then pulled a chair over closer to Derek and saw him flinch in pain. It hurt her to see him like this. . .that was love.  
  
"Take deep breaths," Sara suggested, kissing his hand softly as he tried breathing deeply, but ended up coughing anyway. She could feel him still shaking and she tried to calm him down by talking about other things such as Georgetown. . .but she could tell he wasn't even listening. She saw his eyes start to close and she figured he'd be falling asleep soon.  
  
"I love you," she whispered as she kissed his cheek, "I'll be here waiting when you wake up alright?" She replied, managing a small sliver of a smile. Sara knew it was hard for him to do, but he attempted a smile too.  
  
"Sara. . ." he started, suddenly flinching and holding his arm, "I love you so much," he said as he looked into her eyes deeply. . .and then he welcomed sleep with open arms. 


	6. Chapter Six

CHAPTER 6  
  
The next few days were hard on both Sara and Derek, for Derek's arm seemed to be hurting more and more each day. After spending five days at the hospital the doctors released him on the condition that he not do anything exhilarating or exciting for at least a week, until his arm got better. Although she wanted to be with him 24/7, Derek made Sara promise she'd continue practicing dancing. "You need to keep workin' it," He'd say, as Sara got him some ice-cream and brought it to him on the couch.  
  
"I know. . .but that can wait," She replied, sitting down next to him. She glanced outside his window and realized how beautiful it was. Although it was still pretty cold outside, the sun was shining on the trees which were just starting to turn green again. "Do you want to go for a walk?" She asked, suddenly having the urge to do something. "I mean, if you're up for it,"  
  
"Yeah, sure," he replied, "Some exercise'll be good for me right?" He added, slowly getting up with the assistance of Sara. She grabbed his coat along with hers and headed outside.  
  
Once they were out, Sara went to his left side, not wanting to bother his sore arm. Once she was on that side, Derek put his arm around her with a sly smile.  
  
"What are you smiling about?" She asked with a chuckle  
  
"Nothing. . ." he said, still grinning. Sara looked puzzled, but she had the feeling that was what he wanted. She shrugged it off and continued walking. They walked down toward an old park, filled with children, dogs, and couples like them going for scenic walks. They stopped by a small pond filled with tiny little fish and sat down on a bench nearby. Derek seemed a little nervous or twitchy, and Sara asked him if there was anything wrong. He just replied that his arm was bothering him and she accepted the answer. Suddenly Derek reached into his pocket and slowly brought something out.  
  
"What's that?" Sara asked. When she saw what it was, Sara's eyes nearly fell out of the sockets. There, in Derek's hand was a 10-karat diamond ring. Derek smiled again, and even though it was hard for him to do, what with one arm and all, he got down on one knee. Sara had always envisioned this moment, but now that it was here she didn't quite believe it. She felt her eyes start to water, and her hand covered her mouth while she tried to fight the tears. Derek chuckled once again, and said those magical words.  
  
"Sara. . ." He started, sweetly trying to sound cool and calm about it all, while Sara could tell he was scared to death, "Will you marry me?" There was no doubt in Sara's mind what the answer was, and she proudly answered the lingering question. Through the tears that were now spilling down her cheeks, she replied "yes". Derek jumped up and with a proud smile on his face; he placed the beautiful ring on Sara's finger. She slowly got up off of the bench and inched closer to her now fiancée. Derek started saying something, but Sara pressed her finger against his lips and replaced it with her own lips. They could feel people watching them, either in awe or disgust; whatever it was they really couldn't care less. Once they stopped and continued walking, Sara seemed to be glowing with happiness.  
  
"Derek. . .I love you," She announced sweetly as Derek reached for her pale hand. He stopped suddenly and faced her; right there in the middle of the street. Derek put his hand on her face and gently caressed it.  
  
"Sara I couldn't have made it without you," he replied, "The shooting, I mean. I remember being on that table. . .and your face was the first thing I saw. That gave me hope. . .desire," Sara looked at him in awe. How could someone make her feel this way? It was truly, truly amazing. She pondered on what to say in response to that. She decided on what was true.  
  
"I couldn't have done it without you either. . .if you hadn't gotten me back into ballet I'd be missing out on the best opportunity of my life,"  
  
"You did that yourself," He replied, smiling and adding another kiss. 


	7. Chapter Seven

CHAPTER 7  
  
Sara watched Chenille's face as her and Derek told her about their new engagement. Sara held out her hand and Chenille's hands touched the ring in what seemed to be astonishment. A smile formed on her face as she hopped up and screamed with joy, hugging both her best friend and her brother. With a sigh of relief, Sara hugged her back.  
  
"I can't even believe this!" Chenille exclaimed, as Derek wore that huge grin across his face once more. "Who would'a thought. . .my brother and by best friend! This is gonna' be one hell of a family, won't it?" she added, with a laugh. With all the excitement and screaming, Christopher and woken up and was not the least bit happy. Chenille left the room to go and tend to him as "Mama Dean" entered the room, looking a little confused.  
  
"What's going on?" She asked Derek in her quiet, soft-spoken way. Derek got up and with him, lifted Sara's hand. Mama Dean's eyes widened as she looked at the ring. . .the ring to Derek. . .then to Sara.  
  
"We're engaged Mama," Derek pronounced, kissing the side of Sara's head playfully.  
  
"Well I'll be John Brown," she exclaimed, laughing, "Welcome to the family darling," she added as she leaned in for a warm hug which was contently received by Sara. Now that all of Derek's closest relatives were informed about their new-found happiness, the happy couple decided to head over to Sara's house to inform Roy.  
  
Walking up the narrow steps to Sara's home, it dawned upon Sara that her father may very well be at work. She decided to try home anyway, but her hunch had been right; Roy was at work.  
  
"We could go to his work. . .I haven't seen him play in a while anyway," Sara suggested  
  
"Yeah, that's cool," Derek replied, "If he wouldn't mind,"  
  
"Well his daughter's going to be married soon. . .I'm sure he'd understand why we want to tell him now!" Sara commented, and with a snicker, the two headed on over to the Jazz Club in which Roy was playing.  
  
As the couple walked in, hand in hand, they noticed a few people starting to stare. Sara glanced briefly at one woman. . .she looked very familiar. All of a sudden she started laughing to herself,  
  
"Derek!" she whispered through muffled chuckles  
  
"What?" he asked in confusion,  
  
"That lady there," Sara started, motioning toward a woman talking on a pay phone, "that's the one that was freaking out that time on the bus!" Derek snorted out a gasp of laughter and, trying to control themselves, Derek and Sara walked past the woman. She continued to stare at the couple and put down the phone. Walking behind them, the woman followed them into the club where Sara could hear the recognizable sound of her father's trumpet being played. Derek and Sara sat down at a table, surrounded by a gray smoke coming from the pipe of a man sitting next to them. Derek looked around (since jazz music wasn't really his thing, he was trying to fix his mind on other things) and his eyes were drawn to an older couple staring at him. Quickly Derek looked away, but since they were within earshot, Derek continued listening to their conversation.  
  
"Look at that," the man said, taking a sip of what appeared to be a beer, "I'll tell you, they're over-running the country." Derek wondered who "they" were, but his questions were unfortunately answered  
  
"It's true. Just look at that! They're even taking our poor women. That poor child over there. . .She has no idea what she's getting into, I bet," the woman replied, taking a puff of her cigarette. Derek could feel his face starting to sweat with rage, but he continued to control himself and listen  
  
"That's what's wrong with the world today. . ." the man continued, ". . .Damn niggers. . ." That was it. Derek just jumped out of his chair and walked out into the hall. Confused, Sara followed him, and Derek banged his head, in rage, against the wall.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sara asked, confused and a little worried.  
  
"Did you hear what they were sayin' in there?" He asked, tears of anger spilling down his cheek. Sara put her hand on his shoulder as he pulled out a chair in the hall and slammed himself into it  
  
"Who?" Sara asked, kneeling down as she heard the controlled sobs coming from Derek. He took a deep breath and shook his head, looking Sara in the eyes  
  
"There was this couple in there. . .I could here them talking about us. . .about, well. . .me,"  
  
"What do you mean?" Sara asked, already knowing the answer deep inside her.  
  
"They called me a fucking nigger!" Sara's heart sank, and she shook her head in disbelief.  
  
"Baby. . ." she started, reaching in for a hug as he let his face fall into Sara's sweater, "We can get out of here if you want. . .I can tell my dad later tonight."  
  
"Nah, it's okay I can just stay out here for a while. . ."  
  
"No, we can go. C'mon," She replied, hugging him once again as he got up from the chair and the two left; tears and all. 


	8. Chapter Eight

CHAPTER 8  
  
Storming out of the club, Derek felt the eyes of curious strangers staring at him. It had just occurred to him what a scene he must have made.  
  
"Derek, try to calm down. . ." Sara said, trying to relax him. She put her hand softly on his shoulder, but was swatted away by Derek  
  
"No one's ever called you a nigger!" He exclaimed, lowering his head. "I'm sorry," he said, after a while of just standing there, staring at each other, "It's not just this time either. This isn't the first time I've heard someone talk about us like that," he added, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. Just then he spotted the old couple walking out of the club, and Sara had to hold him back.  
  
"It's not worth it," she tried, and the two walked back to Sara's house. Once inside, Sara fixed them both a plate of left-over pizza from the night before. They sat down on the couch that had once been Sara's bed, since the kitchen table needed to be fixed and slanted to one side. Even though she didn't want to discuss it, Sara knew the situation they had just come from needed to be dealt with.  
  
"I don't get it," she started, taking a bite out of her pizza, "Why does it bother people so much. . .it's none of their damn business,"  
  
"I know," Derek replied, before taking a sip of his Coke, "But that's life. I don't even know why I got so upset there. . .it was just everything comin' out at once,"  
  
"You know, fuck them and what they think," Sara replied. Derek laughed,  
  
"If it were that easy everything would be alright. It's just. . .When people look at us I know they judge us. . .I can feel it,"  
  
"So can I," Sara replied, "And I hate it! We don't judge them, why do they even give a rat's ass about us?"  
  
"'Cause of me," Derek replied as he put the slice of pizza down and stared Sara in the eye, "It has nothing to do with you. When people see us, the first thing that comes to mind is 'Oh that poor white girl'. I just can't stand it. . .they think I'm a thief or something,"  
  
"But you're not, so ignore them,"  
  
"Sara it's not that easy. You don't even know what it's like. . .day by day having old couples talkin' about you when you walk in the door; callin' you a fuckin' nigger," He replied, as he watched Sara's expression change,  
  
"No, I don't have those things said about me," She started, grabbing for his hand, "but what's even worse is watching them say it about you. That hurts just as much, Derek." Derek looked at his fiancée in awe. She had just taken away every ounce of pain in him and replaced it with love; for her. He smiled, and the two kissed once more. That was the end of that conversation.  
  
Derek left Sara's house at around 9 o'clock that night, and when her dad came home, Sara found she was tired from her long day. That didn't, however, stop her from informing him about their good news. As she heard him walk up the stairs, Sara hopped up off of the couch; ready to tell.  
  
"Hey Roy," She started, acting extra nice to him. He smiled and returned the greeting. "I have something to tell you," she started. Roy turned around and with a look of concern on his face asked "what?"  
  
"Are you alright, Sara?" He asked, edging closer to his daughter  
  
"No it's not like that," She reassured him, "It's. . .well. . ." she held out her ring finger, hoping he would understand so that no more words needed to be said. His eyes widened as he looked at the ring, then Sara. . .Sara, then the ring.  
  
"Is this. . ."  
  
"An engagement ring? Yes! Derek and I are engaged Roy," She finished his sentence for him. Although he didn't appear to be angry or sad, Sara hadn't yet seen a formal reaction. Finally he spoke,  
  
"Sara, congratulations," he finished, although he didn't sound very enthusiastic, Sara believed him and the father and daughter shared a hug. 


	9. Chapter Nine

CHAPTER 9  
  
On Monday morning, Sara walked up the outside steps and over to where Chenille, Derek, Diggy, and Snookie were standing. She greeted Derek first, with a heart-felt kiss as the other watched them with a smile. Once they were finished, Sara greeted Diggy and Chenille with their "handshake" and simply said "hi" to Snookie.  
  
"Girl, that ring's some nice! Did Derek give that to ya'?" Diggy asked, taking a sip of her Coca Cola with a straw. She removed her headphones from her ears and waited for a reply  
  
"Yeah, actually. . ." Sara started, then smiled, "It's actually an engagement ring. . ." Diggy's eyes widened and after a while of just standing there in astonishment, she smiled and laughed,  
  
"Damn, girl! Why don't you tell me these things?!" She yelled, before leaning in for a hug.  
  
"Ain't you gonna' congratulate them Snookie?" Diggy asked, playfully pushing him. Snookie walked over to where Derek was standing,  
  
"Man, you got problems, man. . ." he commented, with a stern look on his face. All of a sudden the frown was replaced with a large smile, "You gotta tell me when you do somethin' like that, man!" Just then the morning bell rang and the group split up and went to their classes.  
  
At lunchtime, Sara grabbed her plate and walked over to Chenille's table where Diggy, Portia, and Trenyce were sitting, eating there lunch. Sara noticed Chenille seemed distracted, and then realized she was reading what appeared to be some kind of text book.  
  
"What's that?" She asked, taking a bite out of her chicken-salad sandwich. Chenille continued reading before she realized that the question was directed at her, and she lifted her head for a moment,  
  
"Jus' this history book," she replied, again putting her head down to skim through it, "we got a test right after lunch. . .Couldn't study at all last night; Christopher cryin' and cryin'. . ." Sara replied by a simple nod, and continued eating her lunch when she saw Derek approach the table.  
  
"Hey," She greeted him, which was followed by their usual greeting-kiss.  
  
"Hey baby. . ." he started, "Hey, do you got a minute?" He added, again with that sly grin he had on his face  
  
"Umm, yeah sure. . ." She replied, grabbing her jacket, plate and hat. She walked over to the trash can and dumped her garbage in it, and then Derek grabbed her hand and led her out the door. While they were walking down the halls, they passed Nikki. Sara could feel an almost smile form across her face as she watched Nikki's face as she realized that they were engaged.  
  
"Where are we going?" Sara asked, once they had exited the school and were walking down the street  
  
"Well, I called this dude about like wedding cakes and shit. . ." he started, looking Sara in the eye, "And this was the only time that we could meet today so I said yeah. . .Jus' to look at the cakes and you know. . . that stuff. . ." Sara's smile was now greater than she could ever have imagined  
  
"Derek, that's awesome!" She replied, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips onto hers. Once they were finished, Derek laughed and pointed down the road,  
  
"It's jus' down there,"  
  
The building seemed so different from all the others in the neighborhood, this one appeared to be brand-new and there wasn't any graffiti on it. Although it wasn't very big, when Sara walked in she could feel a sudden warmth wrapped around her and was greeted instantly by a woman named Camille  
  
"Welcome," she started. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun and her lips were colored with dark red lipstick, "How can I help you today?"  
  
"Uh, we have a reservation I think," Derek replied, looking around her shoulder at the clip board  
  
"Alright, and your names?"  
  
"Derek Reynolds and Sara Johnson," he replied, the woman's eyes slowly moving down the page until she came across their names and with her pen, crossed them off. She looked up and smiled,  
  
"Alright then, come along this way," she led them to another, smaller room with model cakes and napkins, flowers and plastic bride and grooms surrounding it. She put her clip board down on a leather chair and continued walking over to a large, white cake with what seemed to be five layers on it.  
  
"Is this something like you're looking for?" She asked, pointing to the cake that was placed in front of them. Sara and Derek looked at each other, and then back at the cake. Although it looked very nice, they both found it to be a little plain. They were then directed to a book of cakes, where they picked a perfect one. Once the cake was chosen, Derek glanced at his watch and saw that it was 12:57. . .The afternoon bell rang at 1:05.  
  
"We better go," he whispered to Sara, showing her the time. Sara nodded and told the woman  
  
"Oh, what a shame. . .Will you be back?"  
  
"Yeah, can we make a reservation now?" Derek asked  
  
"Sure, and what time would you like to come back to us?" She asked with a more-than-happy smile. Derek and Sara briefly discussed it and came to the conclusion that it was best to come back in a week's time, since school was getting more intense with exams coming up and such, they should have a week for studying. Sara and Derek walked back to school with smiles on their faces. . .They were actually going to be Mr. and Mrs. Johnson one day not too far away. 


	10. Chapter Ten

I'd just like to thank you all for your patience. . .there has been a lot going on in my life lately, but thankfully it has all been straitened out. I'm sorry for leaving you on the cliffhanger, if you will, but I promise that I will be writing more frequently from now on. Thank you again.  
  
CHAPTER 10  
  
As Sara brought out her English binder and started writing her essay which was due tomorrow, a thought crossed her mind. How were her and Derek to get married when he was going to Georgetown and she was going to Julliard? She didn't want just another marriage among young adults who end up getting a divorce within the first ten years. Could they actually have a long- distance marriage? Or would a long-distance engagement be better? All this thinking was taking her mind off of her work, so she promised herself that she would discuss it with Derek later that day.  
  
After the last bell rang, Sara headed toward her locker and saw Kenney and Chenille talking. Chenille appeared to be happy; she was laughing and had a huge smile on her face.  
  
"Hey Chenille. . .Kenney," Sara greeted them with a subtle smile. Chenille smiled back and returned the greeting.  
  
"So did you have that pop quiz in Beckman's class?" Chenille asked as Kenney left her locker. Sara, opening her locker, answered yes. "How do you think you did?"  
  
"Alright, I guess. What about you?"  
  
"Didn't know hardly any of it girl. . .Christopher had a cryin' attack again last night. I'm tellin' you girl, that kid will not shut up!"  
  
"Well if. . ." Sara started, reaching into her locker and pulling out her coat as well as her backpack, "if you ever want to drop him by my house. . .you know, if you have to study or something I could look after him for a while." Chenille turned around and looked over at Sara with a smile on her face.  
  
"You'd do that?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean if you ever needed to,"  
  
"Well I'll think 'bout it, a'ight?"  
  
"A'ight," Sara answered, and with a giggle, the two exited the building.  
  
Once they got outside, Sara was greeted by Derek's smiling face and his lips soon met hers. With a smile, the group started walking when some guy Sara had never seen before intercepted their path. With an angry look on his face, his eyes were on Derek.  
  
"Man what you doin'?" Derek asked, trying to get past him but the man stepped in front of him once again.  
  
"What am I doin'? Why don't you ask how Malakai is doin'?" Derek looked stunned and confused  
  
"What? Man, what are you talking about?"  
  
"Yeah you know. I know you know. Kai's gonna' be on trial for attempted murder and that's all you got to say to me? C'mon man, I ain't that dumb," the man took a breath and wiped his mouth, "Now why don't you tell me why the fuck you think you had the right to peep on him?"  
  
"Peep on him? Man the dude shot me! And you think I'm just gonna let him get away with it? Nah. He used to me my boy, yeah. . .but not anymore,"  
  
"You peeped, man! Now that them lawyers and shit are lookin' at his record he'll probably be sent to the chair, man! They jus' want him out of the streets, and this is their chance! It's your fault, man. If you hadn't a peeped on him man nothin' like this would'a been happening,"  
  
"Look, Kai shot me. What do you think I was supposed to do, man. It's none of your damn business anyway," Derek replied, attempting to walk past him but the stranger stopped him  
  
"It's my business, man, Kai's like a brother to me man. . ."  
  
"I really don't give a shit," Derek replied coldly, when all of a sudden he saw a fist come flying at him. He threw one back, along with a few swear- words and kicks, but eventually the fight was stopped and they went their own separate ways. Who was he? Derek wondered. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

NOTE- I apologize again and again for not updating this story in so long ... I hope that I'll be writing more lately, but I can't make any promises. I thank you so much for your wonderful comments! You readers are the main reason I'm still writing now ... so thanks again and enjoy(  
  
CHAPTER 11  
  
Derek stormed away with Sara by his side, grasping his arm tightly. Along with Chenille and the others, they all walked home without saying a word except when Derek and Chenille left, Sara gave him a soft kiss and they went their separate ways.  
  
Sara tried opening her door but, as usual, her father was out so she pulled out her key and entered the small home they shared. She put her books down on the counter and flopped down on the ratty old couch. She rubbed her temples with her two index fingers roughly; her headache from the fight had turned into a migraine. She pondered why the fight had even broken out for a moment. Who was that man, and what did he want with Derek? Obviously he was some sort of kin of Malakai's and wanted revenge for putting him behind bars. Had this man been talking to Kai lately? If he had, they would have been able to plan things ... Sara stopped herself from thinking about this. Malakai was behind bars, he couldn't hurt anyone anymore.  
  
Sara flipped on the television and, as if she hadn't been thinking about him enough, she saw Malakai's face plastered on one of the local news channels. She told herself it wouldn't help to watch it, but she couldn't tear her eyes away.  
  
"...currently up in the air. Malakai Jones is pleading not guilty against the charges pressed by Derek Reynolds after Mr. Jones shot him in his own home. Malakai says he only shot Derek in self defense, that he and Derek had been friends previous to this incident. Fortunately Derek Reynolds, soon to be Doctor Derek Reynolds (Sara felt a smile creep across her face as she heard the word doctor) was not permanently injured by the shooting. Will this case go to trial? WVS News will be here for you to find out. Alexis Martin reporting on assignment. Back to you, Nancy."  
  
Sara, although her head was still throbbing, forced herself up off of the couch. She headed over to get an Advil which she hoped would help her pounding ache. She poured herself a tall glass of sparkling water to wash it down, and with a heavy gulp and the tilt of her head it went down. Rubbing her head again, she decided to take a nice, hot shower.  
  
She reached for the bottle of shampoo, took a whiff of its soothing fragrance (Aloe Vera with a hint of Passion Flower) and squeezed some out onto her palm. Gently massaging it through her long blond hair, she pondered more what she had been meaning to discuss with Derek. How would they be able to get married while he would be at Georgetown and she at Julliard? Of course, she supposed Derek hadn't completely forgotten about these factors when he asked for her hand in marriage, but she still wondered. Did he have a plan, or was he as confused as she was? She began to rinse the shampoo out of her hair and reached for the conditioner when she heard a bang on the door. Irritated, she tried to ignore them; if it was important they'd come back, right? But when they persisted, she sighed heavily and turned off the water. She hopped out of the tub, reaching for the towel on the rack as she rushed to the door.  
  
"I've been meaning to talk to ..." Derek started, before he looked up and saw Sara with her hair wet and a towel wrapped around her. "Oh," he said looking more than a little embarrassed.  
  
"I was just ... in the shower and I heard you knocking so ..." Sara said as she felt her face turning beet-red. A smile slowly crept across his face and he let out a hearty laugh which was followed by an equally heart-felt one offered by Sara. "Come in," Derek stepped in, taking his coat off and placing it on the couch which used to be Sara's sleeping area. He looked around for a moment when his eyes rested on a box of Advil on the counter.  
  
"Are you feelin' okay?"  
  
"Oh, yeah I'm fine I just had a little headache. That's why I was in the shower too ... I'm feeling better now though, don't worry about me," She replied, putting the box back where it came from.  
  
"You sure? Here ... lie down," Derek sat himself down on the couch and offered a spot next to him to Sara which she graciously accepted. She spread out her feet over his legs as Derek started massaging her feet gently. She closed her eyes for a minute as Derek began to speak,  
  
"Have you ever seen that guy before? Like at school or ..." Sara shook her head and asked him the same, "Nah, I've never seen the guy my whole life. Man ... he was probably just some dude Kai knew, he'll get over it," Derek said, sounding more like he was assuring himself than Sara.  
  
"You did the right thing," Sara convinced him. Derek looked down at her as her hair was being gently wrapped around his finger. He sighed for a moment but then looked into Sara's eyes and nodded.  
  
"Yeah ... yeah, I know it was. If Kai was still hustlin' on the streets people would be dyin' all over the place. They are anyway but ..." He started, all of a sudden noticing how quiet Sara was. "How come you're not sayin' anything?"  
  
"Nothing just ... Never mind," She replied shaking her head and putting on a little smile. She could see, however, that she couldn't fool him. He knew her too well  
  
"Just tell me."  
  
"It's ... It's just I've been thinking about what we're going to do once school starts in the fall. I'll be at Julliard, you'll be at Georgetown ... I just don't know how we're going to make it work. I mean I really want to marry you Derek, I can't wait! It's just ... confusing. Do you have any ideas?"  
  
"I knew it was somethin' like that. Look, I love you and you love me, right?" Sara nodded, "So it'll work. We'll make it work, I promise."  
  
"But how? Do you want to get married before we go away or stay engaged or what ... I mean it's December now, we don't have that long to plan before we go away ..." Derek put his index finger up to her lip which, until this was still talking. He made a "Shh" noise and Sara stopped. He gently leaned in for a kiss which lasted about five seconds until their lips softly parted. He gently stroked her blond strands of hair with his right hand, while his left was intertwined with hers. For a moment they just looked into each other's eyes and Sara knew it would work out. She was in love, and there was nothing else like that in the world. At that moment nothing mattered. Not Malakai, not Julliard, not Georgetown, not Chenille, not her Mother, nothing. It was only her and Derek living in the world for that moment and it was indescribable.  
  
"It'll work," Derek replied softly as he bowed down once again and her lips met his. 


End file.
